12 Horror Movies Directed By Black Women You Need To Watch ASAP
I spend a lot of time looking for Black women horror directors. It is important to support people who usually get shut out of the industry. As a horror fan and an aspiring screenwriter, I want to ensure I do my part to give these filmmakers attention. Also, many of their movies speak to me on a level that most others could never. Whether I saw myself for the first time in Eve’s Bayou, getting a Candyman that decenters whiteness, or just vibing out while being inspired by Blink Twice, Black women-directed genre movies always hit differently. So, I am here to share 12 feature-length titles I think we should make time for ASAP.
P.S. If anyone on the list no longer uses she/her pronouns please let us know so we can edit that.
Atlantics (dir. Mati Diop)
Where You Can Watch: Netflix
Unpaid construction site workers leave their country hoping for a better future. However, when they return home, it’s to haunt the ones they love. If you are looking for a little romantic horror at home, check out Mati Diop’s film. She also co-wrote the script with Olivier Demangel.
Blink Twice (dir. Zoë Kravitz)
Where You Can Watch: MGM+ and Prime Video
A tech billionaire invites a waitress to join him and his friends on his private island. Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut was one of my favorite movies of 2024. It deserved so many awards. I cannot wait to see Kravitz behind the camera again. Not only did she direct the hell out of this movie, but she also co-wrote it with E.T. Feigenbaum. Give her everything and take my money already.
Candyman (dir. Nia DaCosta)
Where You Can Watch: Prime Video
This sequel to Candyman (1992) returns to the now-gentrified Chicago neighborhood where the legend began. Nia DaCosta’s Candyman gave us everything I always wanted from this story and more. It’s also visually stunning as it explores important conversations society needs to have. This dream cast includes Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Colman Domingo, and the late Tony Todd. I think it should have won every Oscar the year it came out.
Death Ph.D (dir. Swisyzinna)
Where You Can Watch: Prime Video and Tubi
A group of psych PhD students agrees to spend the night in a haunted house to graduate early. However, they need to record the phenomena they are witnessing and stay alive to benefit from that deal. In addition to this being Swisyzinna’s feature-length directorial debut, she also wrote the script and appeared in the movie. This is definitely another Black woman director to keep an eye out for.
Eve’s Bayou (dir. Kasi Lemmons)
Where You Can Watch: Fandango At Home, Plex, Prime Video, and Tubi
A child discovers that her father’s philandering ways might have led to something unspeakable happening in their home. Not only did Kasi Lemmons give us an all-star cast of Black actors, but she also made Southern Gothic horror cool with this all-Black cast. This groundbreaking tale was Lemmons’ first feature, and she also wrote and directed it. Come for the cast, stay for the stunning story of revenge and lost innocence.
The Industry Did It (dir. Dolly Gray)
Where You Can Watch: Fandango at Home, Plex, and Tubi
An aspiring actress vlogs her Hollywood adventures as she discovers just how far she is willing to go to achieve her dreams. This comedic thriller slipped under our radar because it was a 2020 movie. We all owe it to the writer, director, and star Dolly Gray, to check it out and make some noise online if we like it. Worst-case scenario, we watch a free movie from the comfort of our own homes.
Master (dir. Mariama Diallo)
Where You Can Watch: Prime Video
Three Black women try to find their place in a predominantly white and very elite Northeastern university. However, when the racist attacks on a Black freshman begin, it forces each woman to examine where the real threats are coming from. I love it when Regina Hall is in the genre, and many of us knew to expect something cool from Mariama Diallo because of her short Hair Wolf. So, it is unsurprising that her first feature, Master, would give many of us a jumping-off point to discuss racism at the collegiate level.
Nanny (dir. Nikyatu Jusu)
Where You Can Watch: Prime Video
An African woman becomes a nanny for an Upper East Side white family in New York. Upon taking the job, she is forced to confront an ugly truth that will shatter her American Dream. This movie stars Anna Diop and Sinqua Walls and has a whole vibe. This is why it hurts that the person who made this gorgeous movie is now using AI, which will never be able to reach the heights she did with her feature debut. I’m happy we all came together to roast her online, but I hate that she lost the plot because I was rooting for her. We needed more stories like Nanny, so I am still upset.
Our Father, The Devil (dir. Ellie Foumbi)
Where You Can Watch: VOD
An African refugee’s quiet existence in the south of France is upended by the arrival of a Catholic priest whom she has a traumatic history with. Ellie Foumbi made one of my favorite 2021 movies that no one saw. However, like Nikyatu Jusu, she’s also making movies with AI now. I get when hacks look for a cheat to creativity, but I’m so confused by all these Black women with all this talent giving up on themselves. However, Our Father, The Devil is a dramatic thriller that deserves more eyes, even if I do not know how to feel about the filmmaker.
Red Pill (dir. Tonya Pinkins)
Where You Can Watch: Tubi
A group of progressives ride into a red county on the eve of the 2020 election. I know this is a comedic horror thriller. Yet, it also feels like it will always be too soon for another movie about an election. However, I support Black women directors because I know how hard it is for them to get anything made in this industry. So, I will bully myself into watching this movie because this writer, director, and actor got a project made in unprecedented times. If nothing else, that is something worth celebrating.
Welcome II the Terrordome (dir. Ngozi Onwurah)
Where You Can Watch: Criterion Channel
A white woman moves in with a Black man, and racial violence breaks out. Welcome II the Terrordome stands out for a few cool reasons aside from Ngozi Onwurah directing it. It is an Afrofuturist story and was the first movie made by a Black woman to be theatrically distributed in Britain. We all need to snatch another Criterion free trial and see Onwurah’s sci-fi drama as we wrap our minds around that important milestone. She also wrote the script for this 1995 film because what can’t she do?
Within (dir. Hanelle M. Culpepper)
Where You Can Watch: VOD
A young girl who can see evil spirits in other people witnesses her mother’s brutal murder. Her father moves them to a small town believing they can pick up the pieces and move on, but they soon discover it’s not that easy. This 2009 effort flew under many of our radars. So, I am happy to point out it was directed by a Black woman. Hanelle M. Culpepper helmed this movie, and we owe it a watch (or rewatch) this month as we ask why Black women are not getting enough opportunities to direct horror.
Are you planning to watch all these movies directed by Black women this month? Do you have some titles that got left off the list? Then find me on Bluesky so we can nerd out immediately!
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